Graduations, Transitions, and Conference Season
This time of year is often filled with graduations, transitions, and celebrations. It is also the beginning of conference season in the adoption community.
Last month, I headed to San Jose to witness my daughter graduate from college, and wow, there were so many emotions. As I watched her walk across the stage, surrounded by me, her dad, her U.S. grandparents, and her Italian grandmother, I felt so much pride. I was thinking about everything she has worked through and accomplished to reach this moment.
As an adoptee, I also could not help but think about who was missing: her Colombian birth family.
For so many of us adoptees, monumental moments like graduations, weddings, births, and other major transitions can bring many emotions to the surface. These moments can remind us of the many ways adoption has shaped our lives and will continue to impact the generations that come after us.
As I watched my daughter graduate, I found myself thinking about all of the ancestors she carries with her. I thought about the people neither she nor I know, but who are still part of her story and, in some way, helped her arrive at this moment.
It was a beautiful day filled with celebration, pride, gratitude, and the Both/And emotions that are so often part of the adoptee experience.
Conference Season Is Here
Conference season is well underway, and there are several adoption-related conferences taking place this summer in the United States and internationally.
I am excited to be attending two adoptee-centered conferences this summer. I am looking forward to being in community, learning from others, and continuing to reflect on what it means to create spaces that truly center adoptee voices and lived experiences.
Being a Critical Consumer of Conferences
Conferences can offer important opportunities to connect, learn, and build community. They can also reflect very different beliefs about adoption, child welfare, family preservation, and whose expertise matters.
Before registering for a conference, here are some questions I ask myself:
Does the organization promote adoption, examine adoption critically, or make room for multiple perspectives?
How does the conference address ethics, family separation, race, culture, identity, disability, and lifelong impact?
Who or what organization is putting on the conference?
Who is the intended audience: adoptees, adoptive parents, birth/first parents, social workers, placement agencies, researchers, or child welfare professionals?
Are adoptees involved in planning, leadership, and decision-making?
Are adoptees centered as experts in their lived experiences, or primarily invited to share personal stories?
Are those with lived experience being compensated financially for their time?
Which voices and perspectives are present and which may be missing?
Will this conference offer the type of learning, connection, or community that I am seeking?
There is no single conference that will meet everyone’s needs. Taking a little time to understand the purpose and framework of a conference can help each of us make thoughtful decisions about where we invest our time, energy, and resources.
Additional Adoption Conferences This Summer
Each conference has a different purpose, perspective, and intended audience. I encourage people to learn more about the organizers and programming before deciding whether a conference is the right fit for them.
Thank you for continuing to learn, reflect, and for being in community, and don’t forget to check out June’s Adoptee Community Page.
Warmly,
